Methods and apparatus for communicating in a wireless system

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for communicating information, e.g., queries and query responses, in a peer to peer communications network are described. Queries include, e.g., queries for a product, service, activity or activity partner. In some embodiments, a query channel is implemented and utilized. The implemented query channel structure is such that multiple query responses may be communicated corresponding to a single transmitted query. Various embodiments employ randomization in transmission segment selection by an individual communications device within a transmission block to decrease the likelihood of collisions. A communication device&#39;s access to the query channel is determined by the communications device itself. A communications device&#39;s decision as to whether or not to transmit and/or re-transmit a query is based on one or more of: its query transmission statistics, historical query channel loading information, and priority level information corresponding to the communications device.

FIELD

Various embodiments relate to wireless communications methods andapparatus and, more particularly, to communications methods andapparatus that support communication of information, e.g., queriesand/or query responses, between wireless devices.

BACKGROUND

Users are tending to rely more and more upon wireless communications forall kinds of interactions, business as well as social, in addition tousing wireless communications for conventional voice communications. Asthe number of wireless communications devices in service has continuedto increase competition for the limited amount of available air linkresources has been growing. One area of wireless communicationsexperiencing growth is peer to peer communications, e.g., in ad hocnetworks lacking centralized control or coordination. In such anenvironment there is a need for devices to be able to communicateinformation between peers, e.g., queries and query responses. In anenvironment lacking centralized control in which users may come and goat will, it is problematic to efficiently allocate the scarce amount ofavailable air link resources to the devices in the network at a giventime.

Based on the above discussion there is a need for efficient methods andapparatus that allow wireless communications devices to communicateinformation, e.g. queries and/or query responses, between one another.It would be particularly beneficial if methods and apparatus forcommunicating queries and/or query responses without the need for acentral control device to allocate resources to individual devices forsuch communications could be developed.

SUMMARY

Methods and apparatus related to the communication of informationbetween peers in a wireless communications network are described.Various exemplary methods and apparatus are well suited for use in apeer to peer network, e.g., an ad hoc peer to peer network lackingcentralized control where queries and query responses are to becommunicated.

Some embodiments use a query channel, e.g., a channel dedicated to thecommunication of queries and/or query responses. In some embodiments thequery channel is implemented as part of a timing structure, e.g., arecurring peer to peer timing structure. Queries and query responses canbe communicated using the query channel. In some embodiments, the querychannel includes a plurality of transmission blocks, each transmissionblock including a plurality of transmission segments. The implementedstructure is such that multiple query responses may be communicatedcorresponding to a single transmitted query. Various embodiments employrandomization in transmission segment selection by an individualcommunications device within a transmission block to decrease thelikelihood of collisions.

In some embodiments, a communication device's access to the querychannel is determined by the communications device itself. In some suchembodiments, a communications device's decision as to whether or not totransmit and/or re-transmit a query is based on one or more of: itsquery transmission statistics, historical query channel loadinginformation, and priority level information corresponding to thecommunications device.

An exemplary communications method, in accordance with one embodimentcomprises: transmitting a query in a first transmission segment of afirst transmission block, and monitoring a plurality of transmissionsegments of a second transmission block to detect query responses, saidmonitored transmission segments corresponding to said first transmissionsegment. In some such embodiments the query is a query for a product,service, activity or activity partner.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a communications deviceincludes at least one processor configured to: transmit a query in afirst transmission segment of a first transmission block, and monitor aplurality of transmission segments of a second transmission block todetect query responses, said monitored transmission segmentscorresponding to said first transmission segment. The exemplarycommunications device includes a memory coupled to said at least oneprocessor.

While various embodiments have been discussed in the summary above, itshould be appreciated that not necessarily all embodiments include thesame features and some of the features described above are not necessarybut can be desirable in some embodiments. Numerous additional features,embodiments and benefits of various embodiments are discussed in thedetailed description which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a drawing of an exemplary communications network, inaccordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary first and second transmission blocks,exemplary transmission segments, exemplary queries and exemplary queryresponses.

FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating exemplary signaling carried in thefirst transmission block.

FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating exemplary signaling carried in thesecond transmission block.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example showing the mapping of a transmissionsegment used for posting a query in a first transmission block tomultiple transmission segments which can be used for responding to thequery.

FIG. 6A is a first part of a flowchart showing the steps of an exemplarycommunications method, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6B is a second part of the flowchart illustrating the exemplarymethod and in combination with FIG. 6A comprises FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary communications device which can be used in thesystem of FIG. 1 to implement the method of the flowchart of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 illustrates an assembly of modules which can be used in theexemplary communications device of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communications network 100, e.g., anad-hoc peer to peer wireless communications network, in accordance withone exemplary embodiment. Exemplary communications network 100 includesa plurality of communications devices, e.g., peer to peer wirelesscommunications devices, including communications device 1 102,communications device 2 104, communications device 3 106, communicationsdevice 4 108, communications device 5 110, . . . , communications deviceN 112. Each communications devices (102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112)includes or is coupled to an antenna for receiving and/or sendingsignals, as shown in FIG. 1. Some of the communications devices ofnetwork 100 are mobile communications devices, e.g., wireless handheldmobile communications devices, while other communications devices innetwork 100 may be stationary devices. Some of the communicationsdevices, e.g., communications device 3 106 and communications device 5110, also include a backhaul interface, e.g. a wired interface, forcoupling the communications device to other nodes and/or the Internet.

The communications devices in network 100 support a wireless signalingprotocol, e.g., a peer to peer wireless signaling protocol. At leastsome of the communications devices in network 100 can transmit a queryin a transmission segment of a transmission block, monitor to detectquery responses in corresponding transmission segments, and make queryretransmission decisions. At least some of the communications devices innetwork 100 can monitor for queries and transmit query responses.

The communications network 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 supports theadvertisement of information, e.g., in the form of search queries, aswell as the posting of one or more responses to a search query. FIG. 1illustrates one example of a query transmission and a corresponding setof query responses. Communications device 1 102 transmits, e.g.,broadcasts, query signal 120 on a transmission segment of a firsttransmission block. The query signal 120 may be received by one or moreof the other peer to peer communications devices in network 100. Thequery signal 120 is, e.g., a query for a product, service, activity, oractivity partner. For example, the operator of device 1 102 may besearching for a store selling a particular product and/or brand, e.g.,brand X shoes, and the query signal 120 may indicate that the query is asearch for a seller of brand X shoes.

Although in the FIG. 1 example, device 1 102 is shown as the singledevice in network 100 transmitting query signal, it should beappreciated that one or more of the other communications devices mayalso transmit query signals in the same transmission block. It is alsopossible that two devices may concurrently transmit a query on the sametransmission segment of the same transmission block, and thuspotentially create interference to successful recovery of each othersquery transmissions.

In this particular example, consider that communications devices (device2 104, device 3 106, device 5 110) detect and recover query signal 120and process the query. Further consider that device 3 106 and device 4108, decide to respond to query 120, e.g., device 3 106 and device 4 108are service provider communications devices for malls and/or storesselling brand X shoes. Communications device 3 106 sends first queryresponse signal 122 on a first transmission segment of a secondtransmission block, and communications device 4 108 sends second queryresponse signal 124 on a second transmission segment of the secondtransmission block. Communications device 5 110 does not respond back todevice 1 102 since it does not have information about the searched itemand/or application communicated in the search query 120.

The transmission segment in which query 120 is transmitted may be one ofa plurality of transmission segments in the first transmission block. Inaccordance with one aspect of some embodiments, the transmission segmentselected by communications device 1 102 to transmit query 120 isselected in a random fashion from a plurality of possible alternativetransmission segments in the first transmission block. Given the absenceof a central controller and the random selection of a transmissionsegment for a query signal, other communications devices attempting totransmit query signals in the same transmission block mayunintentionally select the same transmission segment resulting in acollision.

In accordance with one aspect of some embodiments, a device which hastransmitted a query, determines whether or not to re-transmit the queryin a subsequent transmission block based on one or more of: the numberof query responses detected, the information recovered from a detectedquery response, query channel loading information, priority levelinformation, and statistical information regarding previous querytransmissions.

FIG. 2 includes an exemplary frequency vs time plot 200 andcorresponding legend 250. In plot 200, the horizontal axis 202represents time and the vertical axis 204 represents frequency. Plot 200includes an exemplary first transmission block 206 used to transmitqueries and a subsequent transmission block which is second transmissionblock 208. Second transmission block 208, in this exemplary embodiment,can be used to post query responses to detected queries of the firsttransmission block 206 and/or additional queries. There can be, andsometimes are, multiple responses to a single query. Thus, secondtransmission block 208, can be used for posting one or more responses toa transmitted query of block 206, as well as more additional queries.Legend 250 identifies different patterns used to represent exemplaryqueries and exemplary query responses communicated in the first andsecond transmission blocks (206, 208). Query signal A is represented bycoarse crosshatch shading 210. A first query A response signal isrepresented by widely spaced vertical line shading 214. A second query Aresponse signal is represented by narrowly spaced vertical line shading215. First and second query A response signals are sourced fromdifferent devices. Query signal B is represented by fine crosshatchshading 212. A query B response signal is represented by diagonal lineshading 218. Query signal C is represented by dotted shading 220.

In this example, the first and second transmission blocks (206, 208)include (N×(M+1)) transmission segments, where N and M are positiveintegers. In some other embodiments, the first and second transmissionblocks may be of different sizes. In some embodiments, a transmissionsegment of a transmission block can carry B information bits, e.g., 50information bits. Each square in the transmission blocks (206, 208),represents a different transmission segment. Legend 250 illustrates thata square 280 represents a transmission segment. Each transmissionsegment includes one or more transmission units, e.g., one or more OFDMtone-symbols, where an OFDM tone-symbol is the air link resource of oneOFDM tone for one OFDM transmission time interval. In this example, eachtransmission segment includes a contiguous block of one or moretransmission units, e.g., a contiguous block of OFDM tone-symbolscorresponding to the same tone. In some embodiments, a transmissionsegment of a transmission block includes a plurality of OFDMtone-symbols corresponding to different tones during the same OFDMtransmission time interval. In some embodiments, a transmission segmentmay include a disjoint set of transmission units in the transmissionblock. In some embodiments, a transmission block includes a set oftransmission segments, and at least some of the transmission segmentsare different sizes. In some embodiments, transmission segments of atransmission block can use different air link resources other than OFDMtransmission units. For example, CDMA type resources are also possible.

In some embodiments a query channel includes a plurality of transmissionblocks such as a set including first and second transmission blocks(206, 208), and the timing characteristics of the transmission blocksare in accordance with a recurring timing structure, e.g., a recurringpeer to peer timing structure. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 2,transmission block 1 206 has a duration of 3 milli-seconds, transmissionblock 2 208 has a duration of 3 milli-seconds, and transmission block 1206 is separated from transmission block 2 208 by 1 second. In someembodiments, there is a fixed predetermined time separation between eachtransmission block in the timing structure. Although referred to as aquery channel, it should be appreciated that the transmission blocks ofthe query channel, in this embodiment, can be used for communicatingboth queries as well as query responses. In some other embodiments,separate transmission blocks are allocated to queries and queryresponses. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 transmission segments are thesame size for queries and query responses. In some embodiments, atransmission segment for a query is a different size than a transmissionsegment for a query response.

In accordance with one aspect, a communications device determines if itis authorized to transmit a query based on one or more conditions. Forexample consider that a communications device, prior to the time offirst transmission block 206, decides that it would like to transmit aquery in the first transmission block 206. The communications devicemakes an authorization determination. If the communications devicedetermines that it is authorized, the device selects, e.g., randomly, atransmission segment of the first transmission block 206 and transmits aquery signal.

In the example of FIG. 2, two devices which desire to transmit querysignals in first transmission block 206, have determined that they areauthorized and have each independently randomly selected a transmissionsegment to use. In this example, a first device has selectedtransmission segment 252 to carry its query signal, query A 210. Asecond device has selected transmission segment 254 to carry its querysignal, query B 212. In this example, fortunately, the first and seconddevices have selected different transmission segments to use. However,it is possible that the first and second devices may inadvertentlyselect the same transmission segment in which case the use of the sametransmission segment may make it difficult or not possible for otherdevices to recover one or more of the query signals being transmitted onthe common resource which was selected.

In this exemplary embodiment, a device, which has transmitted a query infirst transmission block 206, monitors a plurality of transmissionsegments of second transmission block 208, to detect responses to itstransmitted query. There is, in this exemplary embodiment, apredetermined mapping between a transmission segment in the firsttransmission block 206, which carries a query signal and a set oftransmission segments in the second transmission block 208 which cancarry responses to that query. The device transmitting the query in thefirst transmission block 206 knows the mapping relationship, andmonitors a particular set of transmission segments in the secondtransmission block 208 for any response signal that may correspond toits query signal.

Some devices in the network have been monitoring the first transmissionblock 206, have detected queries, have evaluated the queries and havedecided to respond. Consider that the devices which have decided torespond are also aware of the mapping between a particular transmissionsegment of the first transmission block 206 which carries a query and amatching set of transmission segments in the second transmission block208 which may be used to carry a query response to that request. Furtherconsider that a device which is responding to a query selects, e.g.,randomly, from the matching set of transmission segments in the secondtransmission block 208.

With regard to query A 210, consider that a third device generates andtransmits first query response A 214 using transmission segment 256 ofsecond transmission block 208. Further consider with regard to query A210, that a fourth device generates and transmits second query Aresponse 215 using transmission segment 258 of second transmission block208. With regard to query B 212, consider that a fifth device generatesand transmits query response B 218 using transmission segment 260 ofsecond transmission block 208.

In this exemplary embodiment, the second transmission block 208 cancarry queries in addition to query responses. Consider that a sixthdevice desires to transmit a query in the second transmission block 208,has decided that it is authorized to transmit the query, and hasselected transmission segment 262 of second transmission block 208 tocarry the query. The sixth device generates query signal C 220 which ittransmits in transmission segment 262.

Now consider the example of FIG. 2 in the context of communicationsdevices presented in network 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a drawing 300illustrating exemplary signaling carried in the first transmission block206. Communications device 1 102 transmits, e.g., broadcasts, querysignal A 210 using transmission segment 252 of the first transmissionblock 206, and communications device 2 104 transmits, e.g., broadcasts,query signal B 212 using transmission segment 254 of first transmissionblock 206.

FIG. 4 is a drawing 400 illustrating exemplary signaling carried in thesecond transmission block 208. Communications device 3 106 transmitsfirst query A response signal 214 to communications device 1 102 usingtransmission segment 256 of second transmission block 208, andcommunications device 4 108 transmits second query A response signal 215to first communications device 102 using transmission segment 258 ofsecond transmission block 208. Communications device 5 110 transmitsquery B response signal 218 to communications device 2 104 usingtransmission segment transmission segment 260 of second transmissionblock 208. In addition communication device N 112 transmits, e.g.,broadcasts, query C signal 220 using transmission segment 262 of secondtransmission block 208.

FIG. 5 includes drawing 500 illustrating the mapping of exemplarytransmission segment 252 of the first transmission block 206, used forposting a query, to multiple transmission segments (502, 504, 256, 258,506, 508), in the second transmission block 208, which can be used forresponding to the query. FIG. 5 also includes drawing 550 illustratingthe mapping of exemplary transmission segment 254 of the firsttransmission block 206, used for posting a query, to multipletransmission segments (504, 510, 262, 512, 260, 514), in the secondtransmission block 208, which can be used for responding to the query.In accordance with a feature of this embodiment, a transmission unitused for a query transmission in the first transmission block 206 mapsto six different alternative transmission units in the secondtransmission block which can be used to carry corresponding queryresponses, e.g., in accordance with a predetermined mapping patternknown to both the device transmitting the query and the device ordevices which may transmit a query response.

In some embodiments a query signal includes bits to indicate whichspecific transmission units in the second transmission block 208correspond to the transmitted query and can be used to post queryresponse. In other embodiments, predetermined mapping information isstored in the communications devices.

In this exemplary embodiment, it may be observed that transmissionsegment 504 of second transmission block 208 is a possible requestresponse transmission segment corresponding to both transmission segment252 and transmission segment 254 of first transmission block 206. Insome situations, the overlapping mapping of query response transmissionunits may create ambiguity as to which query is being responded to by atransmitted query response signal. In some embodiments, a query responsesignal includes information, e.g., some bits, allocated to identifywhich query for which the query response is intended and/or the deviceto which the query response is directed. The overlapping mapping ofquery response transmission segments in the structure creates thepossibility that collisions of query response signals may occur. Variousapproaches to retransmission of a query and/or retransmission of a queryresponse are used, in some embodiments, to increase the likelihood thata device which transmitted a query will be able to successfully recovera query response. For example, the transmission segment used to carry aquery can be independently randomly selected each time a query is to betransmitted, the transmission unit used to carry a query response can beindependently randomly selected from its mapped set of possiblealternative transmission units each time a query response is to betransmitted, and/or mapping patterns can be changed, e.g., for differentpairs of transmission block. In some embodiments, the communicationsdevices which are interested in transmitting queries and/or queryresponses, may, and sometimes do, transmit the same query and/or samequery response multiple times but in different transmission segments.

FIG. 6, which comprises the combination of FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, is aflowchart 600 of an exemplary communications method of operating a firstcommunications device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Thefirst communications device is, e.g., any of the communications devices(102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112) of system 100 of FIG. 1.

Operation of the exemplary method starts in step 602 where the firstcommunications device is powered on and initialized. Operation proceedsfrom start step 602 to step 604.

In step 604 the first communications device determines if a query, e.g.,a search query and/or an advertisement, is to be transmitted. In someembodiments, the determination of step 604 is made, at times, by thefirst communications device without user intervention, e.g., based on atime of day, based on a detected location, and/or based on a detecteddevice, person or condition. In some embodiments, the determination ofstep 604 is, at times, based on user input, e.g., a user search inputand/or user advertisement information. In some embodiments the query isa query for a product, service, activity, e.g., sport, or activitypartner.

When it is determined that a query, is to be transmitted, the operationproceeds from step 604 to step 606. In step 606 the first communicationsdevice determines, based on query transmission statistics, iftransmission of the query is authorized. The query transmissionstatistics, in some embodiments, is a set of information which ismaintained by the first communications device, regarding the usage ofthe query channel by the first communication device. In some embodimentsthe query channel includes a plurality of transmission blocks. Forexample, the query channel may include a plurality of transmissionblocks including first and second transmission blocks (206, 208) of FIG.2. The query transmission statistics are updated each time the firstcommunications device uses the query channel resources to transmitand/or re-transmit a query. In some embodiments the query transmissionstatistics keep track of the number of times the same query wastransmitted by the first communications device in a given time period.In some embodiments the query transmission statistics keep track of thenumber of query transmissions performed by the first communicationsdevice in a given time period.

In some embodiments first communications device determines if the numberof query transmissions in a given time period by the firstcommunications device is above a threshold value. The threshold valuecan be a predetermined value in some embodiments whereas in otherembodiments the threshold can be dynamically varied depending on otherfactors such as query channel loading. In some embodiments, the querychannel loading takes into consideration usage of the query channel byother devices. For example, to determine if query transmission isauthorized during the transmission period of a first transmission blockbased on query transmission statistics, the first communications devicemay consider the number of query transmissions by the firstcommunications device in one or more previous transmission blockspreceding the first transmission block. If the number of querytransmissions by the first communications device in the previoustransmission block or blocks under consideration is above the thresholdvalue, then query transmission in the first transmission block isdetermined to be unauthorized and the operation proceeds from step 606back to step 604. However, if the number of query transmissions by thefirst communications device is less than the threshold value, then querytransmission in the first transmission block is determined to beauthorized, and the operation proceeds from step 606 to step 608.

In step 608, the first communications device determines, based on atleast one of query channel loading information or a priority levelcorresponding to the device implementing the method, e.g., the firstcommunications device, if transmission of the query is authorized. Insome embodiments, channel loading refers to the usage of the querychannel resources by various communications devices, in a period oftime. In some embodiments, channel loading refers to usage of the querychannel resources by devices other than the first communications device.In some embodiments, channel loading refers to usage of the querychannel resources by the first communications device and othercommunications devices. In some embodiments, first communications devicemonitors the query channel, and stores information regarding the querychannel usage by various other communications devices, e.g., otherdevices of network 100, during different time periods. For example, thequery channel may be heavily used by a number of devices for theirtransmissions, e.g., query signals and/or query responses during a firsttime period. However the query channel may be lightly used or may beused by fewer devices, e.g., in a second period of time. Thus channelloading may vary corresponding to different time periods and the firstcommunications device may store channel loading information derived fromdetected measurements and/or its stored transmission information. Insome embodiments, the first communications device estimates an expectedchannel loading for the first transmission block based on channelloading information corresponding to one or more prior transmissionblocks. In some embodiments when channel loading information indicates,e.g., a high level of channel loading, the first communications devicedetermines in step 608 that query transmission is not authorized at thattime. However if the query channel loading information indicates, e.g.,a lower level of channel loading, then the first communications devicedetermines that query transmission is authorized with regard to theloading criteria.

In some embodiments, in addition to channel loading information, thefirst communications device also considers the device priority levelcorresponding to the first communications device, when determining ifthe query transmission is authorized. In some embodiments, the firstcommunications device considers the device priority level correspondingto the first communications device, when determining if the querytransmission is authorized, but does not consider channel loadinginformation when making the authorization determination of step 608. Ifthe first communications device belongs to, e.g., a category of highpriority devices, then the first communications device may be authorizedto transmit the query while other low priority devices may have to waitfor their query transmissions. High priority devices are, e.g., devicespaying a premium price for their services, devices which are part of aspecial group of users such as emergency service providers, and/ordevices of a certain special designated type or configuration. In someembodiments, a device's priority level designation may change over time,e.g., a device may be given a high priority level designation during atleast some transmission blocks to increase the likelihood of beingallowed to transmit a query, or a device may temporarily take on a highlevel in response to a condition and/or latency consideration. Thus,based on at least one of the query channel loading information or thedevice priority level, if it is determined that query transmission isnot authorized, then operation proceeds from step 608 back to step 604.However if it is determined that query transmission is authorized,operation proceeds from step 608 to step 610.

In step 610, following the determination that query transmission isauthorized, the first communications device transmits the query in afirst transmission segment of the first transmission block. In someembodiments, the first communications device randomly selects atransmission segment out of a plurality of transmission segments in thefirst transmission block to transmit its query. In some embodiments, thetransmitted query includes an identifier. Thus in step 610 the firstcommunications device transmits its query in the first transmissionblock using the selected transmission segment. The operation proceedsfrom step 610 to step 612 wherein the first communications deviceupdates its query transmission statistics. In various embodiments, eachtime the first communications device transmits a query, the firstcommunications device updates query transmission statistics. Thus thefirst communications device tracks its query channel usage with regardto its query transmission signaling. The updated query transmissionstatistics are stored and available to be used by the firstcommunications device when making another authorization determination,e.g., regarding a query transmission authorization determination inanother, e.g., subsequent, transmission block.

Operation proceeds from step 612 to step 614. In step 614 the firstcommunications device monitors a plurality of transmission segments of asecond transmission block to detect query responses, said monitoredtransmission segments corresponding to said first transmission segment.FIG. 5 described exemplary mapping between a transmission segment in afirst transmission block used to carry a query signal and acorresponding set of transmission segments in a second transmissionblock which may be used to carry query responses. The firstcommunications device in at least some embodiments is aware of thetransmission segments of the second transmission block that correspondto the first transmission segment of the first transmission block.Accordingly, the first communications device monitors the identifiedcorresponding transmission segments of the second transmission block forthe query responses.

In some embodiments, the corresponding transmission segments of thesecond transmission block which map to the transmission segment of thefirst transmission block which carried the query are randomly arrangedwithin the second transmission block. In some embodiments a transmissionquery signal includes bits to indicate which specific transmissionsegments in the second transmission block correspond to the query andcan be used by one or more replying devices to post query responses. Insome embodiments, there is a predetermined mapping between atransmission segment in the first transmission block used to carry aquery and a set of transmission segments in a subsequent transmissionblock that may be used to carry corresponding query responses, and thepredetermined mapping is known to the device transmitting the query andthe device or devices transmitting the query response or responses.

A communications device sending a query response in response to thetransmitted query of step 610 may, and in some embodiments does,randomly select one or more transmission segments out of the set ofcorresponding transmission segments of the second transmission block, tosend its query response. It should be noted that in some embodimentsdifferent devices that wish to transmit a query response or send a querymay also unintentionally select to transmit on the same transmissionsegment of the second transmission block. Such an unintentional reuse ofthe same transmission segment of the second transmission block maydecrease the likelihood that a transmitted query response issuccessfully recovered by the first communications device.

It should be appreciated that while monitoring the plurality oftransmission segments in the second transmission block for queryresponses, the first communications device may detect one or more queryresponses. In some embodiments, for each detected query response in step614, operation proceeds to step 616.

In step 616 the first communications device determines whether or notthe detected query response is a response to its transmitted query ofstep 610. In some embodiments, determining whether or not a queryresponse is in response to the transmitted query includes recovering anidentifier from the detected query response being evaluated andcomparing it to the identifier used in the transmitted query of step310. Operation proceeds from step 616 to 618 when it is determined thatthe detected query response is a reply to the transmitted query of step610. Operation proceeds from step 616 to step 618 when a detected queryis not determined to be a response to the transmitted query of step 610.

In some embodiments, a query response includes one or more bits toassociate it with a particular query. For example, the query responsemay include the same identifier that was transmitted in the query towhich the query response corresponds. In some embodiments, theinformation provided in the query response is sufficient to determinewhether the detected query response is a response to the query of step610. In some embodiments the first communications device maintains acount of the query responses which are determined to be a reply to itstransmitted query of step 610. This count or the number of queryresponse which are determined to be a reply to its transmitted query,may and sometimes is, used by the first communications device in makingone or more decisions. Consider as an example, that the transmittedquery of step 610 is a search query for brand X shoes, and one or moredevices corresponding to shoe stores, factory outlets, malls etc.,receive the query and decide to send query responses as a reply to thequery of step 610. Thus, the first communications device monitoring todetect query responses may, in such a situation, detect a plurality ofquery responses in response to its query of step 610. However, due tothe structure of allowing potentially overlapping sets of transmissionresponse segments in the second transmission block corresponding todifferent queries, some of the detected query responses from step 614may be replies to queries other than the query of step 610. Some of thedetected query responses may be, e.g., responses to different queriestransmitted by devices other than the first communications device in thefirst transmission block.

If in step 616 the first communications device determines that thedetected query response being processed is a reply to its transmittedquery of step 610, then operation proceeds from step 616 to step 618where the first communications device updates the count of the queryresponses determined to be a reply to the its transmitted query of step610. Operation proceeds from step 618 to step 619.

However, in step 616 the first communications device determines that thedetected response being processed is not a reply to its transmittedquery of step 610 then the operation proceeds from step 616 to step 617,where the detected query response is not considered in determining anumber of query responses which are in reply to the transmitted query ofstep 610, and the count of replies remains unchanged from its previousnumber. Operation proceeds from step 617 to step 619

In step 619, the first communications device considers whether or notthe full set of detected query responses from the monitoring of step 614has been processed. If the full set of detected responses has not beenprocessed, then operation proceeds from step 619 to step 616. However,if the full set of detected responses has been processed, then operationproceeds from step 619 via connection node A 620 to step 623.

In step 623, the number of responses to the transmitted query isdetermined from the detected query responses determined to be a reply tothe transmitted query of step 610. The determined number of responsesis, for example, the current updated count of responses which was lastupdated in the last iteration of step 618. The operation proceeds fromstep 623 to step 624 wherein the first communications device determineswhether or not to re-transmit the query of step 610. In someembodiments, step 624 includes one or more of steps 626, 628, 630 and632. Operation will be described for an embodiment including each ofsteps 626, 628, 630 and 632. However, it should be appreciated that oneor more of steps 626, 628, 630 and 632 may be omitted and bypassed insome embodiments.

In step 626, the first communications device determines if it isauthorized to re-transmit the query of step 610 based on querytransmission statistics. Thus, based on the past usage of the querychannel by the first communications device during a period of time, thefirst communications device may or may not be authorized to use thequery channel for re-transmitting the query. If the re-transmission isauthorized based on first communications device query transmissionstatistics then operation proceeds from step 626 to step 628. However,if the re-transmission is not authorized based on first communicationsdevice query transmission statistics then operation proceeds from step626 to step 634.

In some embodiments, as part of step 626, the first communicationsdevice determines if the number of query transmissions and/orre-transmissions by the first communications device in a given timeperiod is above a threshold value. This determination provides, e.g., anindication of the past usage the query channel by the firstcommunications device during that time period. In some such embodiments,if the number of transmission and/or re-transmissions is determined tobe above the threshold value, then the first communications device isnot authorized to re-transmit. However the number of transmissionsand/or re-transmissions is determined to be below the threshold valuethen the first communications device may be authorized to re-transmitwith regard to this authorization criteria. Thus, if it is determined instep 626 that query re-transmission is authorized based on querytransmission statistics, the operation proceeds to step 628. If queryre-transmission is unauthorized, the operation proceeds to step 634.

In step 628 the first communications device determines if queryre-transmission is authorized based on at least one of query channelloading information or the priority level of the first communicationsdevice. As discussed in step 608, the first communications device maymonitor various transmission blocks in a query channel to determine thequery channel usage by various other communications devices duringdifferent time periods. This determination of query channel usage byvarious devices during a period of time, provides an estimate of thequery channel loading during that period of time. In some embodiments ifthere is a high level of channel loading indicated by query channelloading information, the first communications device determines in step628 that the first communications device is not authorized tore-transmit the query. However, if the determined query channel loadingis low, then query re-transmission may be authorized. In accordance withone aspect of some embodiments, some devices having a high prioritylevel belong to a category of, e.g., high priority devices, and may beprovided special privileges which normally other regular devices may notavail. For example, some devices belonging to the category of highpriority devices may have authorization to more frequently use the querychannel as compared to other devices, as a special privilege. Thus insome embodiments high priority devices can re-transmit queries morefrequently than lower priority device. In some embodiments, as part ofdetermining whether or not it is authorized to re-transmit the query,the first communications device determines if it has a priority levelthat authorizes the first communications to re-transmit the query. Insome embodiments a device's priority level may, and sometimes doeschange over time, e.g., as a function of predetermined informationand/or a detected condition, location, device, person, and/or timelatency consideration.

Based on the first communications device's current device prioritylevel, the first communications device may or may not be authorized tore-transmit the query. In some embodiments, a device with a highpriority level is allowed to re-transmit the query even if there is anindication of a high level of query channel loading. However this maynot be the case in some other embodiments. For example, in someembodiments, high loading considerations may override priority leveldeterminations in preventing authorization. Based on the determinationmade in step 628 if re-transmission of the query is authorized,operation proceeds from step 628 to step 630. If it is determined thatre-transmission of the query is not authorized, operation proceeds fromstep 628 to 634.

In step 630, the first communications device determines whether or notto re-transmit the query based on the number of responses to the querywhich were detected. In some embodiments, the number of responses is thecount of the number or query responses which are determined to be areply to the query of step 610. In some embodiments, the firstcommunications device compares the determined number of responses with,e.g., a threshold value, which could be predetermined threshold or adynamic threshold, to determine whether or not to re-transmit the queryof step 610. For example, the first communications device may beconfigured in some embodiments to re-transmit the query of step 610 ifthe number of responses to query of step 610 is below a predeterminedthreshold, e.g. 3. In some embodiments, the user of the firstcommunications device and/or the first communications device may modifythis threshold value, e.g., decrease or increase, based on, e.g., typeof query, past experience of the number of responses received when thesame or similar search was previously performed by the user of thedevice, etc. If it is determined that the query of step 610 should bere-transmitted based on the number of responses, then the operationproceeds from step 630 to step 632. However if it is determined that,for example, a sufficient number of responses have been detected andquery re-transmission is not desired, operation proceeds from step 630to step 634.

In step 632, the first communications device determines whether or notto re-transmit the query based on query channel loading. In someembodiments, determination to re-transmit the query is more probablewhen there is a first level of query channel loading than when there isa second level of query channel loading, the second level of querychannel loading indicating a higher level of query channel loading thansaid first level. Thus, in some embodiments the first communicationsdevice determines to re-transmit the query when the query channelloading is low, for example, below 50%.

When it is determined to re-transmit the query, based on the level querychannel loading, operation proceeds from step 632 to step 636 where thefirst communications device re-transmits the query of step 610.Operation proceeds from step 636 back to step 604 via connecting node B638. If however, in step 632 the first communications device determinesnot to re-transmit the query based on the level query channel loading,operation proceeds from step 632 to step 634.

In step 634, the first communications device refrains fromre-transmitting the query and the operation proceeds from step 634 backto step 604 via connecting node B 638.

FIG. 7 is a drawing of an exemplary communications device 700 inaccordance with one exemplary embodiment. Communications device 700 is,e.g., one of the exemplary communications devices of FIG. 1.Communications device 700 is, e.g., a mobile wireless terminalsupporting peer to peer communications and implementing a method inaccordance with flowchart 600 of FIG. 6. Communications device 700includes a processor 702 and memory 704 coupled together via a bus 709over which the various elements (702, 704) may interchange data andinformation. Communications device 700 further includes an input module706 and an output module 708 which may be coupled to the processor 702as shown. However, in some embodiments the input module and outputmodule (706, 708) are located internal to the processor 702. Inputmodule 706 can receive input signals. Input module 706 can, and in someembodiments does, include a wireless receiver and/or a wired or opticalinput interface for receiving input. Output module 708 may include, andin some embodiments does include, a wireless transmitter and/or a wiredor optical output interface for transmitting output.

Processor 702, in some embodiments, is configured to: transmit a queryin a first transmission segment of a first transmission block, andmonitor a plurality of transmission segments of a second transmissionblock to detect query responses, said monitored transmission segmentscorresponding to said first transmission segment. In some embodimentsthe first and second transmission blocks are part of a query channel. Insome embodiments the query is a query for a product, service, activity,e.g., gaming, or activity partner.

In some embodiments the processor 702 is configured to determine basedon query transmission statistics, prior to transmitting the query, iftransmission of the query is authorized. In some embodiments theprocessor 702 is further configured to determine, prior to transmittingthe query, if transmission of the query is authorized based on at leastone of query channel loading information or a priority levelcorresponding to the communications device 700. In at least someembodiments, the processor 702 is configured to determine whether tore-transmit the query based on a number of responses to said query whichare detected.

The processor 702 may and in some embodiments is, further configured todetermine whether to re-transmit the query based on query channelloading, said determining to re-transmit being more probable when thereis a first level of query channel loading than when there is a secondlevel of query channel loading, the second level of query channelloading indicating a higher level of query channel loading than saidfirst level. In some embodiments the processor 702 is further configuredto determine, for each detected query response, if the detected queryresponse is a reply to the transmitted query, and determine said numberof responses to said query from the detected query responses determinedto be a reply to the transmitted query. In some embodiments theprocessor 702 is further configured to determine based on querytransmission statistics, prior to re-transmitting the query, ifre-transmission of the query is authorized. The processor 702 may and insome embodiments is, further configured to determine prior tore-transmitting the query, if re-transmission of the query is authorizedbased on at least one of query channel loading information and apriority level corresponding to device 700.

FIG. 8 illustrates an assembly of modules 800 which can be used in theexemplary communications device 700 illustrated in FIG. 7. The modulesin the assembly 800 can be implemented in hardware within the processor702 of FIG. 7, e.g., as individual circuits. Alternatively, the modulesmay be implemented in software and stored in the memory 704 of thecommunications device 700 shown in FIG. 7. While shown in the FIG. 7embodiment as a single processor, e.g., computer, it should beappreciated that the processor 702 may be implemented as one or moreprocessors, e.g., computers.

When implemented in software the modules include code, which whenexecuted by the processor 702, configure the processor to implement thefunction corresponding to the module. In embodiments where the assemblyof modules 800 is stored in the memory 704, the memory 704 is a computerprogram product comprising a computer readable medium comprising code,e.g., individual code for each module, for causing at least onecomputer, e.g., processor 702, to implement the functions to which themodules correspond.

Completely hardware based or completely software based modules may beused. However, it should be appreciated that any combination of softwareand hardware (e.g., circuit implemented) modules may be used toimplement the functions. As should be appreciated, the modulesillustrated in FIG. 8 control and/or configure the communications device700 or elements therein such as the processor 702, to perform thefunctions of the corresponding steps illustrated in the method flowchart600 of FIG. 6.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the assembly of modules 800 includes a module801 for monitoring and detecting a user input, a module 802 fordetermining if a query is to be transmitted, a module 804 fordetermining based on query transmission statistics if transmission ofquery is authorized, a module 806 for determining, based on at least oneof query channel loading information or a priority level of the device,e.g., device 700, if transmission of a query is authorized, a module 808for transmitting the query in a first transmission segment of a firsttransmission block, a module 810 for updating query transmissionstatistics, and a module 812 for monitoring a plurality of transmissionsegments of a second transmission block to detect query responses, saidmonitored transmission segments corresponding to the first transmissionsegment.

In some embodiments, the assembly of modules 800 further includes amodule 814 for determining if a detected query response is a reply tothe transmitted query, a module 816 for updating a count of queryresponses determined to be a reply to the transmitted query, a module818 for checking if a full set of detected query responses has beenprocessed, a module 820 for determining a number of responses to thequery from the detected query responses determined to be a reply to thetransmitted query, a module 822 for determining whether or not tore-transmit the query and a module 832 for re-transmitting the query.

In some embodiments, the module 822 includes one or more of: a module824 for determining if re-transmission of the query is authorized basedon query transmission statistics, a module 826 for determining ifre-transmission of the query is authorized based on at least one ofquery channel loading information or a priority level of the device 700,a module 828 for determining whether or not to re-transmit the querybased on the number of responses to the query which are detected, and amodule 830 for determining whether to re-transmit the query based onquery channel loading. In some embodiments the determination by module830 to re-transmit is more probable when there is a first level of querychannel loading than when there is a second level of query channelloading, the second level of query channel loading indicating a higherlevel of query channel loading than said first level. In someembodiments, among the assembly modules 800 there is a storage module834 for storing information, e.g., channel loading information and/orquery transmission count information.

Various embodiments are well suited for use in a peer to peer network.At least some methods and apparatus relate to searching forgeographically close by devices and/or services using a peer to peernetwork. In some embodiments, a dedicated channel, is implemented andused. In some embodiments, the channel used for the communication ofquery and query response information is referred to as a query channel,e.g., a query channel which is a dedicated channel. In some embodiments,the query channel has N orthogonal resources every T seconds, where N isa positive integer and T is a positive value. In some embodiments, anorthogonal resource is a transmission segment. In some embodiments, eachof the N orthogonal resources can carry B information bits. For example,in one such embodiment N=200, T=1 sec, and B=50. In some embodiments,the N orthogonal resources are included in a query channel transmissionblock.

The usage of the query channel includes posting queries and receivingreplies to those queries. In some embodiments, the posting of queries isperformed in a random access fashion. In one embodiment, a device whichdesires to transmit a query and has determined that it is authorized,randomly picks one of the N resources, e.g., one transmission segment ina first transmission block. The device generates a query signal andtransmits the generated query signal on the selected resource. Theinformation bits of the query signal carry the information that thedevice is looking for. The information, e.g., could come from a searchentered by the user on the device. For example, the query informationbits could indicate the user of the device is searching for a product, aservice, an activity, activity partner, a person, a group, or an event.Specific examples of searches include: a search for shoes, a search fora restaurant, a search for one or more club members, a search for a freeInternet hot spot, a search for a computer gaming partner, a search fora sport, a search for a theater with available tickets, a search for gasstation, etc.

Other devices are monitoring the query channel for transmitted queries.Multiple devices can, and sometimes do, transmit query responses to thesame query. A device detecting a query processes the query and makes adecision whether or not to reply. A device wishing to reply to the querygenerates a query response signal which it transmits on one of theorthogonal resource, e.g., a transmission segment of a secondtransmission block. In some embodiments, a device sending a queryresponse randomly selects the resource on which to send its generatedresponse signal from among a set of resources. In some embodiments, theresource used for the query response can depend on the query beingposted. For example, in one embodiment, each query response could comeon one of K specific resources out of the set of N resources in a secondtransmission block. In one exemplary embodiment, N=200 resources, e.g.,segments in a transmission block and K=10. The devices which typicallyare replying to the queries are service provider devices such as arestaurant or shoe store. Note that in this exemplary embodiment, bothquery and query responses can, and sometimes do, collide since the querychannel is a random access channel.

In some embodiments, the technique for posting queries and replies israndom access, and it can be beneficial to provide a mechanism for blindreposting of queries and replies. In some embodiments reposting ofqueries and/or replies involves the transmission of the same informationmultiple times with the information being communicated on differentresources at least some times. In some embodiments, the number ofretransmissions depends on the perceived usage of the query channel.

The query channel, in some embodiments, is random access with limitedresources. In some such embodiments, each device which may use the querychannel will have limitations on how often it can use the query channel.In some such embodiments, whether a particular device can use the querychannel depends on one or more of: past usage of the query channel bythat particular device, the type of device, a priority level currentlyassociated with the device, and the perceived average usage of the querychannel by surrounding devices.

In one example, a device is classified by a QoS level associated withthe device. In some such embodiments, a high QoS level is obtained bypaying more to the service provider for the high QoS level than the lowQoS level. In some such embodiments, a device's amount of access to thequery channel is associated with the devices QoS level, with deviceshaving higher QoS priority levels being given more access than deviceswith lower QoS priority levels.

In some embodiments, the amount of access to the query channel is basedon the amount of usage of the query channel. For example, in oneembodiment, where a device perceives that there is 10% loading of thequery channel there may be no or very limited restrictions placed on itwith regard on query transmissions, e.g., the device may be allowed totransmit one query in every query channel transmission block. Continuingwith the example, if the device perceives that query channel loading is50% or greater the device may be restricted to be allowed to transmit aquery once in every 10 seconds.

The techniques of various embodiments may be implemented using software,hardware and/or a combination of software and hardware. Variousembodiments are directed to apparatus, e.g., mobile nodes such as mobileterminals, base stations, communications system. Various embodiments arealso directed to methods, e.g., method of controlling and/or operatingmobile nodes, base stations, communications devices and/orcommunications systems, e.g., hosts. Various embodiments are alsodirected to machine, e.g., computer, readable medium, e.g., ROM, RAM,CDs, hard discs, etc., which include machine readable instructions forcontrolling a machine to implement one or more steps of a method.

In various embodiments nodes described herein are implemented using oneor more modules to perform the steps corresponding to one or moremethods, for example, signal processing, a decision step, adetermination step or steps, message generation, message signaling,switching, reception and/or transmission steps. Thus, in someembodiments various features are implemented using modules. Such modulesmay be implemented using software, hardware or a combination of softwareand hardware. Many of the above described methods or method steps can beimplemented using machine executable instructions, such as software,included in a machine readable medium such as a memory device, e.g.,RAM, floppy disk, etc. to control a machine, e.g., general purposecomputer with or without additional hardware, to implement all orportions of the above described methods, e.g., in one or more nodes.Accordingly, among other things, various embodiments are directed to amachine-readable medium including machine executable instructions forcausing a machine, e.g., processor and associated hardware, to performone or more of the steps of the above-described method(s). Someembodiments are directed to a device, e.g., communications device,including a processor configured to implement one, multiple or all ofthe steps of one or more methods described in the present application.

In some embodiments, the processor or processors, e.g., CPUs, of one ormore devices, e.g., communications devices such as wireless terminalsare configured to perform the steps of the methods described as beingperformed by the communications device. Accordingly, some but not allembodiments are directed to a device, e.g., communications device, witha processor which includes a module corresponding to each of the stepsof the various described methods performed by the device in which theprocessor is included. In some but not all embodiments a device, e.g.,communications device, includes a module corresponding to each of thesteps of the various described methods performed by the device in whichthe processor is included. The modules may be implemented using softwareand/or hardware.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in theprocesses disclosed is an example of exemplary approaches. Based upondesign preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged while remainingwithin the scope of the present disclosure. The accompanying methodclaims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and arenot meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

Some embodiments are directed to a computer program product comprising acomputer-readable medium, e.g., a physical medium, comprising code forcausing a computer, or multiple computers, to implement variousfunctions, steps, acts and/or operations, e.g. one or more stepsdescribed above. Depending on the embodiment, the computer programproduct can, and sometimes does, include different code for each step tobe performed. Thus, the computer program product may, and sometimesdoes, include code for each individual step of a method, e.g., a methodof controlling a communications device or node. The code may be in theform of machine, e.g., computer, executable instructions stored on acomputer-readable medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (ReadOnly Memory) or other type of storage device. In addition to beingdirected to a computer program product, some embodiments are directed toa processor configured to implement one or more of the variousfunctions, steps, acts and/or operations of one or more methodsdescribed above. Accordingly, some embodiments are directed to aprocessor, e.g., CPU, configured to implement some or all of the stepsof the methods described herein. The processor may be for use in, e.g.,a communications device or other device described in the presentapplication.

The P2P spectrum may use Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing(OFDM) signals. However, it should be appreciated that at least some ofthe methods and apparatus of various embodiments are applicable to awide range of communications systems including many non-OFDM and/ornon-cellular systems such as CDMA systems.

Numerous additional variations on the methods and apparatus of thevarious embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled inthe art in view of the above description. Such variations are to beconsidered within the scope. The methods and apparatus may be, and invarious embodiments are, used with CDMA, orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing (OFDM), and/or various other types of communicationstechniques which may be used to provide wireless communications linksbetween access nodes and mobile nodes. In various embodiments the peerto peer communications devices are implemented as notebook computers,personal data assistants (PDAs), or other portable devices includingreceiver/transmitter circuits and logic and/or routines, forimplementing the methods.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communications method comprising: selecting afirst transmission segment of a first transmission block out of aplurality of transmission segments in the first transmission block, theselecting configured to decrease a likelihood of a second devicetransmitting a query request in the selected first transmission segment,the first transmission segment of the first transmission block mapped toa plurality of transmission segments of a second transmission block,each transmission segment of the plurality of transmission segments ofthe second transmission block usable for responding to query requeststransmitted in the first transmission segment; transmitting, on a querychannel, a query request in the selected first transmission segment;monitoring the plurality of transmission segments of the secondtransmission block to detect query responses, each transmission segmentof the plurality of transmission segments comprising one or moretone-symbols, each tone-symbol an air link resource of one tone for onetransmission time interval; for each of the detected query responses,determining if the detected query response is a response to thetransmitted query request; and responsive to determining at least onequery response of the detected query responses is a response to thetransmitted query request, updating query channel information based uponthe at least one query response.
 2. The communications method of claim1, further comprising: determining whether to re-transmit the queryrequest based on a number of the detected query responses that areresponses to the transmitted query request.
 3. The communications methodof claim 2, wherein said determining whether to re-transmit the queryrequest is also based on query channel loading, said determining tore-transmit being more probable when there is a first level of querychannel loading than when there is a second level of query channelloading, the second level of query channel loading indicating a higherlevel of query channel loading than said first level.
 4. Thecommunications method of claim 2, further comprising: determining saidnumber of the detected query responses that are responses to thetransmitted query request.
 5. The communications method of claim 1,further comprising: prior to transmitting the query request,determining, based on query transmission statistics, if transmission ofthe query request is authorized.
 6. The communications method of claim1, further comprising: prior to transmitting the query request,determining if transmission of the query request is authorized based onat least one of query channel loading information or a priority levelcorresponding to a device implementing the method.
 7. The communicationsmethod of claim 1, wherein said query request is a query for a product,service, activity or activity partner.
 8. The communications method ofclaim 1, wherein a second query request is carried in at least one othertransmission segment of the second transmission block.
 9. Thecommunications method of claim 1, wherein the determining if thedetected query response is a response to the transmitted query requestcomprises determining if the detected query response includesinformation identifying the detected query response as a response to thetransmitted query request.
 10. A communications device comprising: meansfor selecting a query in a first query request transmission segment of afirst transmission block out of a plurality of query requesttransmission segments in the first transmission block, the first queryrequest transmission segment of the first transmission block mapped to aplurality of query response transmission segments of a secondtransmission block, each query response transmission segment of theplurality of query response transmission segments of the secondtransmission block usable for responding to query requests transmittedin the first query request transmission segment; means for transmittinga query request in the selected first query request transmission segmenton a query channel in a peer-to-peer system; means for monitoring theplurality of transmission segments of the second transmission block todetect query responses from at least one peer in the peer-to-peersystem, each transmission segment of the plurality of transmissionsegments comprising one or more tone-symbols, each tone-symbol an airlink resource of one tone for one transmission time interval; means fordetermining, for each of the detected query responses, if the detectedquery response is a response to the transmitted query request; and meansfor, responsive to determining at least one query response of thedetected query responses is a response to the transmitted query request,updating query channel information based upon the at least one queryresponse.
 11. The communications device of claim 10, further comprising:means for determining whether to re-transmit the query request based ona number of the detected query responses that are responses to thetransmitted query request.
 12. The communications device of claim 11,further comprising: means for determining whether to re-transmit thequery request based on query channel loading of the query channel, saiddetermining to re-transmit being more probable when there is a firstlevel of query channel loading on the query channel than when there is asecond level of query channel loading on the query channel, the secondlevel of query channel loading indicating a higher level of querychannel loading than said first level.
 13. The communications device ofclaim 11, further comprising: means for determining said number of thedetected query responses that are responses to the transmitted queryrequest.
 14. The communications device of claim 10, further comprising:means for determining, prior to transmitting the query request, iftransmission of the query request is authorized based on querytransmission statistics.
 15. The communications device of claim 10,further comprising: means for determining, prior to transmitting thequery request, if transmission of the query request is authorized basedon at least one of query channel loading information associated with thequery channel or a priority level corresponding to said device.
 16. Thecommunications device of claim 10, wherein a second query request iscarried in at least one other transmission segment of the secondtransmission block.
 17. The communications device of claim 10, whereinthe means for determining if the detected query response is a responseto the transmitted query request is configured to determine if thedetected query response includes information identifying the detectedquery response as a response to the transmitted query request.
 18. Acomputer program product for use in a communications device, comprising:a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising: code for causingat least one computer to select a first query request transmissionsegment of a first transmission block out of a plurality of queryrequest transmission segments in the first transmission block, andselect the first query transmission segment to decrease a likelihood ofa second device transmitting a query request in the selected first queryrequest transmission segment, the first query request transmissionsegment of the first transmission block mapped to a plurality oftransmission segments of a second transmission block, each transmissionsegment of the plurality of transmission segments of the secondtransmission block usable for responding to query requests transmittedin the first query request transmission segment; code for causing the atleast one computer to transmit a query request in the first queryrequest transmission segment in a peer-to-peer system; code for causingthe at least one computer to monitor the plurality of transmissionsegments of the second transmission block to detect query responses,each transmission segment of the plurality of transmission segmentscomprising one or more tone-symbols, each tone-symbol an air linkresource of one tone for one transmission time interval; code forcausing the at least one computer to determine, for each of the detectedquery responses, if the detected query response is a response to thetransmitted query request; and code for causing the at least onecomputer to, responsive to determining at least one query response ofthe detected query responses is a response to the transmitted queryrequest, update query channel information based upon the at least onequery response.
 19. The computer program product of claim 18, whereinthe non-transitory computer readable medium further comprises: code forcausing the at least one computer to determine whether to re-transmitthe query request based on the updated query channel information, theupdated query channel information comprising a number of the detectedquery responses that are responses to the transmitted query request. 20.The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a second query requestis carried in at least one other transmission segment of the secondtransmission block.
 21. The computer program product of claim 18,wherein the code for causing the at least one computer to determine ifthe detected query response is a response to the transmitted queryrequest causes the at least one computer to determine if the detectedquery response includes information identifying the detected queryresponse as a response to the transmitted query request.
 22. Acommunications device comprising: at least one processor; and a memorycoupled to said at least one processor, the at least one processorconfigured to: select a first transmission segment of a firsttransmission block out of a plurality of transmission segments in thefirst transmission block usable for transmitting query requests, theselecting configured to decrease a likelihood of a second devicetransmitting a query request in the selected first transmission segment,the first transmission segment of the first transmission block mapped toa sub-set of transmission segments out of a plurality of transmissionsegments of a second transmission block, each transmission segment ofthe sub-set of transmission segments of the second transmission blockusable for responding to query requests transmitted in the firsttransmission segment; transmit a query request in the first transmissionsegment; monitor the sub-set of transmission segments of the secondtransmission block to detect query responses, each transmission segmentof the plurality of transmission segments comprising one or moretone-symbols, each tone-symbol an air link resource of one tone for onetransmission time interval; for each of the detected query responses,determine if the detected query response is a response to thetransmitted query request; and responsive to determining at least onequery response of the detected query responses is a response to thetransmitted query request, update query channel information based uponthe at least one query response.
 23. The communications device of claim22, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:determine whether to re-transmit the query request based on a number ofthe detected query responses that are responses to the transmitted queryrequest.
 24. The communications device of claim 23, wherein said atleast one processor is further configured to determine whether tore-transmit the query request based on query channel loading of a querychannel on which the query request was transmitted, said determining tore-transmit being more probable when there is a first level of querychannel loading on the query channel than when there is a second levelof query channel loading on the query channel, the second level of querychannel loading indicating a higher level of query channel loading thansaid first level.
 25. The communications device of claim 23, whereinsaid at least one processor is further configured to: determine saidnumber of the detected query responses that are responses to thetransmitted query request.
 26. The communications device of claim 22,wherein said at least one processor is further configured to determine ,based on query transmission statistics, and prior to transmitting thequery request, if transmission of the query request is authorized. 27.The communications device of claim 22, wherein a second query request iscarried in at least one other transmission segment of the secondtransmission block.
 28. The communications device of claim 22, whereinthe at least one processor is further configured to determine if thedetected query response is a response to the transmitted query requestby determining if the detected query response includes informationidentifying the detected query response as a response to the transmittedquery request.